Month: <span>February 2017</span>
Month: February 2017

Month: February 2017

Quietly does it

The beach

It remained warm but largely wet whilst we stayed at Acton’s. There was little wind and on our second night when we opened the rear doors to access the boot, a host of flies moved in, attracted by the light. 

We slept well on both nights in complete peace, quiet and utter darkness. It was grand,

I was all for stopping at the Eco Beach site for another night but Mr Snail was suffering itchy feet again. Our destination was Cong, home of The Quiet Man (well, the film location at least.) Mr Snail set about emptying and filling tanks and I gazed at the sea in hope of glimpsing more dolphins. I tried to take photos and I think the light was a little better than when we arrived but nothing came out startlingly better than previously.

Vincent on site

We went to Lidl in Clifden for supplies and found it strangely quiet, with scarcely a car in the car park – leaving lots of room for Vincent. 

We left, turning left onto the N59 and soon found out why the shop was quiet, for it seemed that not only the whole of Clifden but half the world itself was at a pony sale just down the road! The yard was full and there was a market on – the road itself was lined with cars and trailers and horseboxes.

Sudden mayhem on the road

Had I known, I should have loved to be in there with my camera but of course… there was nowhere for Vincent to park.

We continued.

We had read that there is a campaign ongoing to support the upgrading of he stretch of N59 from Clifden to Galway and that many feel it is in a poor state. It wasn’t tip top but certainly better than some of the road we have travelled recently. Anyway, we soon turned off to travel East, passing another sale on the way.

We saw some amazing scenery but with very few chances to stop and capture it for the scrapbook blog. This was a shame as the combination of low cloud with sunshine playing across the landscape provided some stunning scenes. Grabbing shots through the windscreen whilst on the mood just does not do justice.

Let me out!

The weather seemed to be getting ever warmer and we were soon treated to the sight of Camellia bushes in full and glorious bloom (no, no photos, couldn’t stop…)

We found an approximation to a lay by – full of road surfacing material but enough space for Vincent to squeeze in
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib

It took me a while to register the fact that I was seeing heather in bloom… in February. 

When we arrived at the Cong Caravan Park we found it very quiet. Very quiet as in totally empty. We received a warm welcome however, with what has become the usual apology regarding refurbishment works. Refurbishment or not, at least the water is on and the showers (included in the price for once) in operation.  

We are parked on hard standing in a quadrangle surrounded by tall Leylandii. There is a children’s play area between us and what we though would be a very quiet road. The road leads to one of the castle entrances and most specifically to one of the hotel/bar/restaurant areas plus giving access to the grounds and walks. It is really quite busy. Behind us is some kind of sports ground and this generates a level of associated noise from ball-kicking etcetera. Mainly however the dominant sound is of birdsong and we passed a quiet night. Lighting levels are enough to get to the facilities but not too bright for sleeping.

The facilities are adequate but far from luxurious. They are  badly in need of updating. Cleaning is suspect (my shower cubicle had long strands of dark hair clinging to the walls.) The cubicles are small, with little room to move and no seating arrangements to aid dressing and undressing. Showers are push button operation and deliver around 30 seconds of a decent flow at a good temperature (heeding the instruction to press all the buttons on arrival and wait for the water to get hot before undressing. This is key… as it is yet another chilly and unheated block. Skimpy shower curtains (cut down, possibly to make one curtain do two cubicles, and frayed) don’t quite stop the water from spilling into the dry part of the cubicle so one’s trouser bottoms get soggy when struggling to dress standing on one leg. There is no extraction either so the facilities feel very damp and claggy after showers have been used. Used shampoo bottle left in the shower, fragments of used soap everywhere (no liquid soap dispensers), a towel dangling (no hot air dryers) – nothing feels really pleasant or entirely sanitary to me but this is probably entirely psychological and extra-squeamish of me… though I checked with Mr Snail and asked what he thought of the facilities and he has the same sense.

Ashford Castle

Dogs on leads on site. Quiet road at access is not as quiet as it looks, care is needed. Main road into Cong is very busy. Dogs on leads in Castle grounds. Waymarked trails from the village are marked as “No Dogs.” Mr Snail found a wood to walk in about ten minutes away on the way into Cong and let Nell off the lead there. Not the best site for doggy travellers.

There  are red squirrels in the woods.

The site is just outside the village and is adjacent to Ashford Castle. It is  a short walk via the road into Cong, or a slightly longer but more pleasant stroll through the castle grounds. 

That’s the one! and apparently the boss cannot wait to get inside

We walked down with the dog, in the expectation of a pint of Guinness. The pub that I had picked out on our drive through looked just the biz and apparently was the one used in the film.

Oh, let me in, I’m thirsty!

Yes, just the ticket. Hand me my Guinness… but… wait, what is this?

CLOSED!

Closed! So we tried another establishment. Could we bring the dog in, please?

No.

None of the pubs would let Nell in. They all serve food and apparently Irish Govt regs preclude dogs from entering such premises.

We found one where we could sit out in the drizzle and have our pint with our canine companion.

My pint, at last
…and it was good

I find it fascinating that a whole Irish village can build its whole economy on a single Hollywood movie and one that was made so long ago.

Most places were however closed for the winter – but, really, a pub closing for the season? Perhaps I had better get over that… and move swiftly on.

Despite so little on offer there were tourist coaches arriving both yesterday and today and plenty of people about, especially within the castle grounds.

We were not alone overnight, a veedub camper arrived in the evening and then another one turned up today, so now we are three.

I tackled the laundry finally this morning. After having passed by on several opportunities due to the hefty €4 price of a wash… I have ended up having to pay €6 for my wash and another €6 for my dry!!! That was painful but is, I suppose, slightly mitigated by not having to pay €3 for a shower of a morning.

One of many creature cut-outs around the village. I wished that there were a pair of them. I could always use Photoshop…

We’re going to Tipperary tomorrow! Co Tipperary, at least.

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A home from home

We left Gortnor Abbey Pier in the rain. It rained all the way from Crossmolina to Clifden, where we stopped for an ATM before going to the ecoBeach site, when the sun emerged (if a little sulkily). On our way we stopped at the Claggan Mountain Trail to give the dog a walk in the rain. It was a lucky spot; there are few places to stop along the road that do not sport height bars to stop us.

Finally, a place to stop. What a shame it’s raining…

Nell was nowhere near as appreciative of the provided walkway as we were. She hates such things but we were happy not to be bog trotting.

Keeps the old feet dry

I am sure that there must be spectacular views in this little part of the world but not to be seen on our route this time as that low cloud was in evidence everywhere.

Curse that cloud

The N59 route took us all the way to Clifden and some parts conformed to the high standard of road surface we have been enjoying but there were long stretches of poor road, made worse by surface water and flooding.

We stopped again at Leenane, having spotted an accessible car park with a fjord view and adjacent post office. Our postcard sent to its destination, we explored a little.

If Heineken made Filling Stations…

I found what must be the best filling station, ever – apparently dispensing Guinness 🙂

Great guarantee! What’s their secret? They should sell it to Orkney Ferries

Opposite our parking space was the Sheep and Wool museum, sadly closed for the winter.

Closed!

In the other direction was the view. I’ll bet it looks good when the cloud isn’t down.

On the other hand, it looks pretty impressive with the cloud
There are seals, otters, dolphin and porpoise to be seen here, but we saw none

Our exploration found a good handful of potential wilding spots.

Vincent on one car park and viewed from one of the others. No height bars!

In Clifden we attempted to park at the SuperValu but spotted the height restriction in time to back out and extricate ourselves before any cars queued up behind us. We had to park in two  spaces at the kerb. Cash acquired quickly at the ATM opposite but not fast enough to stop a car from parking behind us and boxing us in (lampost firmly planted in the road in front of us.) Luckily the driver remained in the car and obliged when asked to back up a little. 

We decided to try the Sky Road out but our SatNav threw a wobbly and insisted that we turn off it. We have no idea why and cannot believe that the road ahead could  possibly have been anywhere  near as bad as the route that she had us take back into town.

Finally we escaped Clifden and reached our destination, the Clifden Eco Beach Camping and Caravanning Park. What can I say? It’s pretty wonderful; wild and woolly, with scattered pitches nestling among the machair dunes and a clear view of an Atlantic bay… complete with dolphins. We watched  the dolphins for ages today. Sadly they were too far out for a really good view.

There are donkeys close by (they bray) and some Connemara ponies. but very few birds compared to home and we have seen no seals. There are rumours of a wild specimen of Mike Harding (he has a house on the peninsula)  but he has not been spotted either. I suspect we should haunt a more natural environment, such as the pub.

Overall, it’s like the very best of wild camping but with electricity hookup thrown in and a place to dump our waste water. Perfect. We are staying for two nights. Our host is a lovely man.

Photos are in short supply, light being poor and conditions being largely wet.

The eco Beach

In my opinion this is not really a touring site. This is a place to stop and settle and chill out. I would be happy to return here for a week, or two or a month or even a winter.

I am reminded of home and I am missing my island. It’s a shame about the rain but that’s something that we are well used to at home too.

That brings us right up to date at last, courtesy of that new Irish-enabled data SIM and our EHU. If tomorrow is brighter I shall try for more photos, before we turn east and head for Cong.

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Snail Food Snail Tales Vincent1 Comment

Where’s the Abbey?

We left Easkey in the rain. Though it rained much of the way to Crossmolina and was still raining when we parked up at Gortnor Abbey …

Easkey does it

Where were we up to? Ah, yes, Bundoran, I think. 

After two nights in Bundoran the weather had changed and we drove off on a soft St Valentine’s Day, in a fine drizzle. The plan was to go to an Aire at Gortnor Abbey Pier. I had asked around on Facebook for a suitable spot to stop and walk the dog on our way and Easkey (or Easky or Eskey or any one of the variant spellings that abound) had been suggested.

On our journey the character of the landscape changed considerably, becoming ever more agricultural and warmer and more lush. Numerous small tractors populated the road on our way. The heady aroma of muck-spreading seemed omni-present. That muck is good stuff though as I noted shortly before reaching Easkey that the grass here was growing well already. 

Easkey, apparently, is a surfer spot of world-renown. It remains unspoiled, a one-street village of the standard “two pub” size that we have come to understand and  recognise. It stands out however by virtue of its community-run caravan site. We decided to stop for the night and to move on to Gortnor Abbey Pier the following day.

Check in is at the Community building adjacent to the site. The code for the barrier and facilities is obtained on paying your €20  (Includes EHU). The free Wi-fi password had to be requested as it was not offered. (The staff appeared to be in need of some training and a customer information handout)

The Easkey site is small and unfussy. It is new, so the facilities block looks very spanking-new and promising. Accessibility is, as you might expect from a new-build site, very good (so far as this able bodied person can tell) with really roomy shower and lots of turnaround room in the Ladies.

The (cold) facilities block

There are three showers in both Ladies and Gents and each has one of them designed for Disabled use. Showers cost €2 for six minutes. To add insult to injury, the showers are of the push button type and deliver (I counted) around 12 seconds of water per push. Not enough to keep a body warm in the cold ambient temperature of the block. A blown air type heater on the wall by the entry door appeared not to be functioning.

Between the Ladies and Gents is a kitchen with kettle, toaster a couple of sinks and washing machine and tumble dryer. There is a small dining set and a book shelf with books etc. Presumably this can be used as a social space.

Vincent at Easkey

The motorhome pitches are hardcore and are very approximately level, each surrounded by plain grass (just cut – underlining my assessment that the grass was already under way for the year.)  We chose the most apparently level pitch. They are not “fully-serviced sites” as promised at the barrier and we think this applies only to the handful of static pitches sharing the park. Motorhomes have a hookup only, not even a dedicated water point.  It does make the overnight charge expensive for what you get, especially as we were unable to find any grey or black water waste points. Fresh water, rubbish and electricity only.

The free wi-fi provided a very weak signal to the van with only intermittent access. We tried indoors in the kitchen area but had no signal at all there.

The village has a couple of general stores, butchers, a pottery, Restaurant, Takeaway, bicycle hire and a small Heritage centre – most of which were closed for the season. The Pottery was open but we did not go in as I find it embarrassing to not spend money in such a place and we have simply nowhere in the van to put beautiful or delicate objets d’art. We were sad that Pudding Row was not open and i was equally sad not to be able to view the Heritage Centre, which is in a tiny cottage occupied until  the middle of last century – ultimately by a family of eight! This may not seem remarkable but the small size of the place has to be seen to be believed – it made the standard Scots two-room But-and-Ben look positively palatial. I imagine it was a one-room place, about the size of our van…. but with SIX kids in it.

There is a ruined Kirk dating back to medieval times. The kirkyard is tiny and jam-packed. Not possible to navigate without walking on graves,

I fact it is so tightly packed that it is difficult to photograph – it’s not easy to get back far enough to frame a shot.

There is a riverside walk down to the sea. No beach but there is a small harbour and a castle ruin plus the prospect of watching the surf dudes at play.

 

 

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Open All Hours (Maybe)

We departed The Singing Inn on Sunday morning with the intention of using the Motorhome Parking offered at the Dunlewey Activity Centre. The centre sits close to the foot of Errigal, an iconic mountain that is supposedly an easy walk. I really fancied giving it a go.

One of the views with a layby attached, Doe Castle

It was a wonderful drive with some amazing scenery.  Unfortunately there is a paucity of parking areas from which to enjoy the views and take photographs.

Another view with a lay-by, which we made use of to regroup when Dunlewey was found closed. Errigal in the background

Our reference material indicated that the Dunlewey centre is open all year round but when we arrived it was signed as “Opening April 1st”. We pondered what to do over a late brunch in a lay-by and decided to carry on driving to our following day’s intended destination, Bundoran.

“Bundoran is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located on the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a popular seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy since 1777.” (Wikipedia)

Bundoran is proper “seaside” – a popular resort apparently. As with all such places out of season it was not looking at its best but we were both raised on out of season resorts and are veterans of wet and chilly holidays in Skegness, Cleethorpes and Scarborough etc. … how bad could it be? We knew that Bundoran has two beaches and that Nell at least would be satisfied.

We took two nights, Sunday and Monday, at the Travers Holiday Park, which is situated right in the town centre. The site is adjacent to the town’s Retail Park so has plenty of facilities close by, including a 6 screen cinema, Lidl, an Indian restaurant and a laundrette. This latter was a good thing as the one thing which took us to this particular site was that it advertises a laundry room – which does not actually exist!

Vincent at Travers Holiday Park

The site is neat and tidy and the touring “super” pitches are very new indeed. €25 with EHU, water and waste dump on pitch. Showers are a whopping €3 extra for 6 minutes. On the plus side, the showers are controllable. Toilet block very clean and neat. There is good free Wi-fi and good telephone signal.

The proprietor, Neil, is friendly and helpful.

At the Wishing Chair

The promenade is a short walk away and the town offers a circular sea front walk in both directions. We took the Rougey Cliff Walk in order to view The Fairy Bridges and The Wishing Chair as tourists have done for two centuries or more.

We took advantage of the Monsoon Valley for dinner on Sunday and had a Chinese Takeaway on Monday night. Shopping at Lidl and the SuperValu supermarket opposite was quick and convenient

on the Bundoran sculpture trail – part of a work called “Dry”

 

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Snail Tales Vincent1 Comment

The end of the dry spell

Shortly before we left on our Irish adventures I was telling somebody that we would be away for three weeks and that on my bucket …